Milton Herald Football Section 2025

Insist on the BEST

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Kathryn is a certified physician assistant with over 22 years experience as a Dermatology PA. We are excited to welcome her, as she brings with her experience in general dermatology and cosmetic dermatology. Her specialties include general dermatology such as acne, eczema, rashes, hair loss, full body skin exams, abnormal growths etc. Kathryn also specializes in cosmetic dermatology including lasers, injectables, micro-needling, PRP, facial peels, sclerotherapy for spider veins and at home skin care.

FOOTBALL SCHEDULES 2025

High school football around the region kicks off in earnest this month, renewing a fall tradition that has bred heart-stopping action and long-standing rivalries. Enjoy this special section from Appen Media and the Milton Herald, bringing you a list of games to watch this season. Support the work of your local community newsroom today at appenmedia.com/join.

Dr. Brent Taylor

Kathryn Filipek, PA-C

Luke Nickel hands off to TJ Lester in the December state championship.

Bottom cover photos by, from left, APPEN MEDIA FILE PHOTO, PAUL WARD PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY, APPEN MEDIA FILE PHOTO

Tigers hungry to ‘do more’

By ZACH SLANEY

Head Coach, King’s Ridge Christian School Football

Tiger Nation! We are excited for the upcoming football season and the brotherhood this team has formed over the offseason. The team aims to build off last year's successes, including the first winning record in a full varsity season as well as the first playoff win in program history. This group of young men has committed to the weight room this offseason and we look forward to continuing to develop our team’s on-field identity of physicality and relentless effort.

With 45 players, and only 17 upper -

classmen, this team will rely on several young players to step into key roles this season. They have risen to the challenge all summer and we are eager to see their growth and contributions throughout the season.

We also return a strong core group of players from last year. We are excited to see them continue to push our program’s culture and standards forward as we strive to build off the previous success from last year. This team has a hunger and drive to “do more”. The team embraces our program’s core values of Faith, Effort, Discipline (F.E.D.) as these values guide our daily decisions both on and off the field. We trust in God to provide us the F.E.D. to glorify Him in everything we do.

Thank you to our community for their support of our team last season and we look forward to having you ‘loud and proud!’ at our games this year! Go Tigers!

Tune in to Eagles, Buford game Aug. 14

By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — The high school football season will kick off with a nationally televised matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in Georgia in the grand opening of Buford’s new $62 million Phillip Beard Stadium.

The game will air on ESPN2 and ESPN Primetime High School Football at 7 p.m. Aug. 14.

Last year, the matchup saw the home team Milton victorious with a final score of 13-10. The Eagles had a recordbreaking 15-0 season in 2024, culminating in their second straight state championship.

Seven players from Milton’s 2024 roster will play SEC football this season. Two will compete in the ACC and one in the Big 12, along with several others at mid-major schools. Milton lost its starting quarterback and backup, top tight end, two leading rushers and three of their top receivers to graduation.

The Eagles filled their running back and quarterback openings with out-of-state transfers in senior Bentley Hickman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and junior four-star quarterback Derrick Baker from south Florida. Junior Jordan Carrasquillo is the most experienced receiver returning to the Eagles, totaling 17 receptions for 317 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Fellow junior and four-star tight end Grant Haviland, a two-time champion

with the Eagles, will fill out Milton’s offense. Haviland holds upward of 38 offers from Power 5 colleges but has yet to choose where he will play at the next level. He is ranked the No. 1 tight end in the class of 2027 by ESPN, No. 3 by On3 and No. 15 by 247Sports.

Milton’s defense will return several major contributors in Billy Weivoda (an Iowa commit), Gage Lawrence, Blaize Battaglia and Tristan Lester. Cornerback Daryl Hayes, a transfer from Alpharetta High School, will bring in another experienced voice to the defense.

Buford graduated a smaller senior class last season and brings a more polished battalion in hopes to defeat Milton for the first time since 2019.

The Wolves have seven players committed to SEC schools and half a dozen more with Division I offers, including Bryce Perry-Wright who is 247’s No. 4 player in the class of 2026 in Georgia. Buford has four more players in the top 50: No. 37, 38, 41 and 49.

University of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, who has drawn major social media attention due to his emulation of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is a Buford graduate. His younger brother Dayton, a junior, is the first starting quarterback to return for the Wolves in several years.

Deion Sanders took a liking to Buford’s class of 2025, securing commitments from Kyle Carpenter and Mantrez Walker to Colorado. The highly anticipated game could draw Coach Prime back to the Peach State.

SLANEY

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► MARIST

8/15 7:30 PM @ Jefferson

8/29 7:30 PM vs. Woodward Academy

9/12 7:30 PM @ Northview

9/19 7:00 PM @ Druid Hills

9/26 7:00 PM @ Southwest DeKalb

10/3 7:30 PM vs. North Springs

10/10 7:30 PM vs. St. Pius X

10/17 7:30 PM vs. Clarkston

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Lithonia

10/31 7:00 PM @ Tucker

NORTH FORSYTH

8/15 7:30 PM vs. Wheeler

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Creekview

8/29 7:30 PM @ Lanier 9/12 7:30 PM @ South Forsyth

9/18 7:30 PM vs. Lambert 10/3 7:30 PM @ Denmark

10/10 7:30 PM @ North Atlanta

10/16 7:30 PM vs West Forsyth

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Alpharetta

10/31 7:30 PM @ Forsyth Central

8/15 7:30 PM vs. Bowdon

8/22 7:30 PM @Hebron Christian

9/5 7:30 PM vs. Osborne

9/12 7:30 PM @Savannah Christian

9/19 7:30 PM @Kings Ridge

9/26 7:30 PM vs. Mount Vernon

10/10 7:30 PM @Mt. Pisgah Christian

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Wesleyan 10/31 7:30 PM Region Crossover Game (Opponent TBD)

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 7:30 PM @ St. Francis 7:30 PM @ Community 5:00 PM vs. Lafayette 5:00 PM vs. Unity 5:00 PM vs. Pinecrest 5:00 PM vs. Johnson Ferry Christian 7:00 PM @ Fideles

HORIZON

► KING’S RIDGE

8/15 7:30 PM vs. The King’s Academy

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Lanier Christian

8/29 7:30 PM vs. Heritage Christian

9/5 7:30 PM @ Walker

9/19 7:30 PM vs. Fellowship Christian

9/26 7:30 PM @ Flint River Academy

10/3 7:30 PM vs. Mt. Pisgah Christian

10/10 7:30 PM @ Wesleyan

10/24 3:45 PM @ Mount Vernon

10/31 7:30 PM @ TBD - Crossover game

► JOHNS CREEK

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Cambridge

8/29 7:30 PM vs. Centennial

9/5 7:30 PM @ Kennesaw Mountain

9/12 7:30 PM vs. Prince Avenue Christian

9/26 7:30 PM @ Gainesville

10/3 7:30 PM vs. Roswell

10/9 7:30 PM @ Lanier

10/17 7:30 PM vs. Seckinger

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Milton

10/31 7:30 PM @ Chattahoochee

► LAMBERT

8/15 7:30 PM @ Mill Creek

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Walton

9/5 7:30 PM @ Cherokee

9/12 7:30 PM vs. West Forsyth

9/18 7:30 PM @ North Forsyth

10/3 7:30 PM vs. North Atlanta

10/10 7:30 PM @ Alpharetta

10/16 7:30 PM vs. Forsyth Central

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Denmark

10/31 7:30 PM @ South Forsyth

► MOUNT PISGAH

8/15 7:30 PM vs. Haralson County

8/22 7:30 PM @ Mt. Paran Christian

8/29 7:30 PM vs. B.E.S.T Academy

9/5 7:30 PM vs. Providence Christian

9/19 4:15 PM @ Mount Vernon

9/26 7:00 PM vs. Wesleyan

10/3 7:30 PM @ Kings Ridge

10/10 7:30 PM vs. Fellowship Christian 10/17 7:30 PM @ Lanier Christian

10/31 7:30 PM @ Region Crossover TBD

► RIVERWOOD

8/15 7:30 PM vs. Centennial

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Chattahoochee

8/29 7:30 PM @ South Forsyth

9/5 7:30 PM vs. Sequoyah

9/12 7:30 PM @ Creekview

9/19 7:30 PM @ Sprayberry

10/3 7:30 PM vs. River Ridge

10/10 7:30 PM @ Lassiter

10/24 7:30 PM vs. Woodstock

10/31 7:30 PM @ Pope

► ROSWELL

8/15 7:30 PM vs. Peachtree Ridge

8/29 7:30 PM @ Walton

9/5 7:30 PM @ Buford

9/12 7:30 PM @ Westlake

9/19 7:30 PM @ Seckinger

10/3 7:30 PM @Johns Creek

10/10 7:30 PM vs. Chattahoochee

10/17 7:30 PM vs. Lanier

10/24 7:30 PM @ Gainesville

10/31 7:30 PM vs. Milton

► SOUTH FORSYTH

8/15 7:30 PM @ South Cobb

8/22 7:30 PM @ Campbell

8/29 7:30 PM vs. Riverwood

9/12 7:30 PM vs. North Forsyth

9/18 8:00 PM @ North Atlanta

10/3 7:30 PM vs. Alpharetta

10/10 7:30 PM @ West Forsyth

10/17 7:30 PM vs. Denmark

10/24 7:30 PM @ Forsyth Central 10/31 7:30 PM vs. Lambert

► WEST FORSYTH

8/14 7:30 PM vs. Douglass, Atlanta

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Marietta

8/29 7:30 PM @ Parkview

9/12 7:30 PM @ Lambert

9/18 7:30 PM vs. Denmark

10/3 7:30 PM @ Forsyth Central

10/10 7:30 PM vs. South Forsyth

10/16 7:30 PM @ North Forsyth

10/24 7:30 PM vs. North Atlanta

10/31 7:30 PM @ Alpharetta

► ST. FRANCIS

8/15 7:30 PM @ Harvester

8/22 7:30 PM vs. Horizon Christian

8/29 7:30 PM vs. Fideles

9/12 7:30 PM @ Victory

9/19 7:30 PM vs. YACS

9/26 7:30 PM @ Unity

10/3 7:30 PM vs. Community Christian

10/17 7:30 PM @ Lafayette 10/24 7:30 PM vs. Pinecrest

10/31 7:30 PM vs. Johnson Ferry Christian

7:30 PM vs. Community Christian

7:30 PM vs. Fideles

7:30 PM @ Cherokee

7:30 PM vs. Harvester

7:30 PM @ Praise

7:30 PM @ Pinecrest

7:30 PM @ Central Christian

5:00 PM @ Horizon Christian

7:30 PM vs. Unity

7:30 PM @ St. Francis

► JOHNSON FERRY CHRISTIAN